Digital Cameras : Minolta Dimage 7i

I started with a DiMage 7 last January. I bought it 6 mo. ahead of a trip to Italy, to learn the camera. The electronics failed 2 days out of the box. I sent it to Minolta for repair and after they had it for almost a month, I received another 7 as a replacement.

This camera functioned moderately well. It had problems with slow autofocus and the occasional failure to lock in on a tight focus, as well as rapidly depleting my NiMH batteries. I took over 1100 shots and the overall results were good ... that is, right up to a week before I was due to depart for Italy !! Six days before the trip, the electronic viewfinder again failed. Minolta repair would do nothing to help me, given my time dilemma. I pleaded to have another shipped to me as I sent this one back, but they refused. I was forced to either look for another brand. locally, or buy another camera over the net.

Given my prior good experience with Minolta 35mm cameras, I chose to buy the 7i, which had just been released in June. I made a request to Minolta digital repair that if they were to replace my old DiMage 7, that they do so with a new 7i, since the old model design seemed significantly flawed !! They refused to quote repair rate statistics to me when we discussed their design problems. They ended up replacing my second 7 with another new model 7. I paid $58 for their firmware upgrade of the 7 to near 7i funtionality, as they refused to offer it to me as compensation for my aggravation !!!

In the meantime, I am now in Italy. Three days into my trip with my new 7i, it begins to show similar electronic gremlins !! Both the electronic viewfinder (EVF) and the LCD screen freeze on startup. The off switch will not work when this occurs and the batteries must be disconnected to reset the camera. Occasionally this would happen while a picture was writing to disk. I had a similar problem with the autofocus indicating a lock only to find that the resultant photo is grossly blurry (not easily seen through the EVF). As an added problem, the camera would not hold settings when turned off, which I had to do after each photo session, because the camera balked at going into auto-save for extending battery life. If not turned off after taking a couple of photos, the camera would remain on and the batteries would heat up the case, becoming warm enough to heat a drink !!! I was lucky if the batteries would last for 40-50 shots !!

I endured these problems for 3 weeks in Italy and upon my return home, I sent this 7i back to digital repair. I hadnt even received my 7 back from them, yet, either !!!

They replaced the 7i with another of the same models. I was exactly SIX shots into using this new camera, when it went into a PERMANENT SOLARIZATION MODE and ruined every photo I attempted to take. I just sent this one back to them and am awaiting return of yet another lemon and more excuses !!! They assured me I would have the service expedited, and as of this writing, it has been 3 weeks and no camera !!! Some kind of service !!

I again made the request that they replace this lemon with their NEW 7hi .... they probably got a big laugh out of that one, too !!!

The camera has some great features, when they work. The pictures are dramatic ... when everything functions as it should. But, in my limited experience with the Dimage 7 series, I am appalled at the obvious design flaws that Minolta has foisted on an unknowing public !!! I will get this 7i back and try to sell both on eBay, so I can purchase a Nikon. Minolta has lost a lifelong customer and they seem to care less !!! Hide Full Review

Ive been a photographer for years and just converted from 35mm to digital and found that the minolta does it all - but it will take time to get through all of the manuals and settings - this camera is definately for the professional and can be extremely complex, but the quality of the photos are outstanding. The only downside is getting help directly from Minolta - their website is hard to navagate and getting support is not easy - but dont let this keep you from chosing this camera, I would recommend that when you purchase this camera that you order at least 3 sets of rechargable batteries - these will keep you going all day and then some. When downloading pictures onto your computer is where you use up the batteries the most - Ive been told not to consider the A.C. adapter because it gets extremely warm and can do damage to the camera - so use the batteries. Hide Full Review

First off, I must say this IS a good camera. Some of the best features, ease of use, and price make this cam worth a look. Ive only had it for 24hrs now and have figured out 80% of the cameras features. My ONLY gripe is with the battery life. Unlike the article in PCWorld, I have not been able to take 200+ pictures before the batteries died. Also, the cam lacks an AC adapter to use while trying to save battery power. On the defense, I will point out that it DOES come with rechargable batteries and a recharger, but even that does not help when you need to transfer pictures to your computer and your batteries are dead. Hide Full Review

I recently purchased my camera (from an internet source) and am quite pleased. The camera takes great photos and was a great buy. My original options were between the Dimage 7hi and the Olympus E20. The E20 has everything I wanted in addition, it also had great aestetic appeal. The only drawback was the write speed. The Minolta Dimage 7hi did not have this problem. The Minolta however, did not have electronic zoom or automatic pop up flash. After handling the cameras in person, I found that I actually preferred the manual zoom. The auto flash was no big deal, bu the irony here is that the difference between the 7hi and the 7i was $300 worth of options that I felt I would never use. Hence, I decided to go with the 7i for both price and features. the popup flash would have been nice, but the less mechanics the better, besides its nothing to raise the flash. Hide Full Review